SRM Dynamo Belt Drive Belts

[RichardL]

I'm going to order some new belts for my SRM dynamo belt drive conversion from a belt manufacturer. Does anyone think they would be doing well to be in on the same order? Probably no volume discount, but saves the hassle. You would need to consider the shipping from the U.S. (without any up-charge, of course).

Richard L.

[RichardL]

Having no takers, I went ahead and ordered two belts at about $8.00/ea. I saw belts as cheap as $5/ea. in a pack of eight. I know it sounds too cheap versus some high-priced stuff out there, but my previous cheap belt was fine until I tortured it for about 75 miles.  If your lookin' for details, the ones I just ordered are Optibelt 10T5/420. The previous brand I had was Jason Industries. We'll see how these new ones hold up.  One good thing is, I can pick them up from the local bearing supplier on Friday with no shipping charges.

Richard L.

[RichardL]

Just picked up the belts I ordered less than 24 hrs ago from the dealer 20 minutes from me who had to order them from the warehouse. I ordered two, but they just grabbed a handful (6) and gave them to me. At first look, these don't seem as robust as the last one I had or SRM's. I'll have to compare when I get home.

Richard L.

[muskrat]

G'day Richard.
Those belts don't look to be steel belted, they look almost see through. I'm pretty sure the Syncroflex belts I use are 10AT5/420 that has a slightly different tooth form to the T, their also considerably more expensive.
Cheers

[RichardL]

Oh, I have to spend so much time explaining how I've done things wrong, I might as well have done them right.

First, when ordering the belts, I was recalling the T5 profile, used on SRM's early kits but not on mine, which should have been AT5. So, the profile isn't a perfect match, with the pulley teeth having extra room to move between the belt teeth. My many belts are, indeed, steel reinforced. Actually, they have more cords, but fewer strands (1/2-2/3 as many). These belts are about 0.020" thinner (face of tooth to back of belt), with most of the difference to the outside of the steel. I don't think the extra plastic matters much, what with the steel providing most of the strength. (Yes. it does sound like I'm trying to convince myself they're OK.)  I'm pretty sure being clear doesn't matter.

Anyway, I put one on the bike, attached the cover, then went for a 4-mile ride. All worked well. (Now, I could save face and not tell you the next thing, but why bother after all of this?) Half-way through the ride I remembered I forgot to lube the belt. Oooh, scary, what if I ruined one of my six $3.00 belts?  One good thing I did was to forego gasket sealer on the cover, foreseeing a possibility of going quickly through these six belts. Leaking a little oil is OK for my purposes.

Sorry, if I've clogged up the WWW with endless prattle over dynamo belts.

Richard L.

[muskrat]

G'day Richard.
Good to see it's steel belted. The profile is a bit different but should handle the light load of a dynamo. Lubricate well with grease. Pics show the differance of T to AT belts.
Cheers

[RichardL]

Thanks for your comments, Muskrat. I wonder if there is any history out there of dynamo belt failure causing damage behind the cover.  Maybe, jamming up the works?

Richard L.

[bsa-bill]

Richard those belts look very like the one I've used for 14ish years now (not a lot of miles in that time but lack of use is often not a friend to drive stuff),

[muskrat]

G'day Richard.
I doubt a broken belt would do any damage. I know a chain can.
Cheers

[RichardL]

Richard those belts look very like the one I've used for 14ish years now (not a lot of miles in that time but lack of use is often not a friend to drive stuff),

Only 14 years? I guess I'd better throw them out.

Richard L.